Process and apparatus fob the treatment of substances with heat



w. G. LAIRD Re. 16,971 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF SUBSTANCES WITH HEAT May 22, 1928.

original Filed March 25'.`

Reissued May 22, 1.928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILBUB G. LAIRD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB, DY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To HEAT TBEATING COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION Ol' DELAWARE.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT 0F SUBSTAIN'GIliiS4 WITH HEMI?.

original No. 1,546,345, dated .ru-1y 14, 1925, serial No. 368,732, mea starches, 1920. apuestan :or

- '-1 reissue led July 1I, 1927. Serial No. 205,014.

of pressure to which the substance t'o betreated can be subjected.

The invention will be illustrated by pointingv out the manner in which one embodi ment thereof may be applied to the treatment of a Washing or absorbing menstruum such as oil which may be used first to absorb desired products such las gasoline or other vapors or gases lfrom a gaseous medium such as natural gas or casinghead gas in AWhich they are contained and then treated in a manner to remove such absorbed products by treatment with heat and in a manner to secure a high degree ofthermal eiciency with a maximum separation and recovery -of the absorbed products and the menstruum.

The use of this illustrative embodiment is not intended .to limit the invention to said embodiment as the invention is applicable to many other uses, among. which may be mentioned the changing of the molecular formation of a substance as inthe cracking of liquid hydrocarbons to produce other hydrocarbons of different molecular structure. Snell molecular change may be either exothermie or endothermic or in complex reactions both may occur in the process. The invention is applicable also to the distillation of substances such'asftars or oils which may be composed of a series of more or less complex hydrocarbons having dilerent boiling points and Whi'eh'may yield. tvvov or more desired distillates or fractions in the distillation' process. The invention is applicable also to the distillation of substances such as water to secure a desired distillate or to secure a concentration of a solution by the removal of a volatile portion thereof or both.

The invention is applicable also to the treatment of substances to' secure chemical combination which may be induced by heat or heat and pressure or lack of pressure or the invention -mav be employed to secure precipitation similarly induced or the' desired result may be obtained by heat orlheat and pressure or laclrof pressure in the presenceof a suitable circulating 'medium introduced or formed in the process and which Will serve to aid in the desired result as for lexample by combining therewith or by'servin g in a catalytic capacity or aiding other- W1se.

Theinvention is applicable also to the treatment osubstances in a manner to secure a distillate condensed inia desired medium, 'such as for example Water vapor condensed in an air medium to produce a distillate more or less aerated.

The invention is applicable also to thev separation of immiscible liquids, such as for example emulsions of oil and Water, which may be. treated in 'a manner to secure their separatlon by partial or complete distillation ofone or more constituents or the deslred degree of separation maybe -obtained by preci itation or both.

The a ove examples of the applicability of the invention are not intended as limitative or as including all uses of the invention,

but are intended merely as illustrativeo some'of the uses for which the invention may be adapted. j

The invention results in more uniform heat treatment and with a maximum yield of desired products with a minimum expense and loss ofheat. y This is obtained as stated broadly by a progressive ysaturation of a circulating medium (either introduced or formedvduring the process)'With the desired products. The circulating medium is saturated progressivel as it passes through progressivelyhigher cated chambers containing the substance under treatment with increased quantities of desired products and enters each succeeding chamber lacking the products which it receives therein thus crera'ting a condition which it is believed facilidesired products or both and produce morel desirable products 'than otherwise would be obtained. It impossible also that a circulating medium containing undesirable products may be used in. certain embodiments of the invention to aid in preventing thei formation of similar products during the'process and that in some cases a polymerization ora combining may take-place which will increase the yield of desiredproducts by the combining of undesirable products to form desirable products. Loss of heat preferably is minimized by utilizing the heat at least in part usually 'wasted in condensation to heat at least 1n part the substance to be treated which in turn acts tovcool at least-in part the products obtaining by the heat treatment. Similarly the'heat of the li uid products or residuum or both may be utllized at least in part to heat at least in part the substance to be treated which in turn acts to cool at least in part the liquid pioducts or residuum oir both.` `Loss of heat maybe minimized also by returning one or more undesired condensed products to the sa. will be apparent from the following illussubstance being treated preferably at a stage of the process approximately corresponding in temperature with the temperature of the condensed product.

It will be evident that the substance will be able to utilize the latent heat of the vapor, as well as the heat fromany condensate or residuum passed through or into it,

because the` rapid evaporation'of the substance induced by the circulating medium will exercise such a cooling'eiect as 4to enable the substance to utilize what otherwise would pass oif asexcess heat. For example, a pound of steam contains enough latent -heat to raise approximately six and onethird ounds .of water from F. to 212 F.. It? therefore, it was desired to transfer all the latent heat of a pound of steam to less than six and one-thirdpounds of `water, it would be necessary to conveythe heat away from the Water or. the excess latenty heat could not be transferred. By inducing a rapid evaporation of the water (evaporation being one of the objects sought in the present process) the heat is conveyed away from the water which thus dis renderd capable of taking up all the latent heat. The more heat. the more evaporation; the more evaporation the more heat can be taken up; and the more evaporation from a' minimum amount of added or applied heat, the more 4successful and economical the process and apparatus is. c

Other and further objects of the invention tration of certain embodiments thereof and from the accompanying drawing,in which The figure shows a diagrammatic illustration of one embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the embodiment of said figure, a series of chambers 10, 20,'30 and 40 in any desired number and without particular limitation as to form is illustrated, the last of which .is shown as heated .by a furlov7 the normalliquid level of the substance to be treated in first chamber 10. A similar pipe 21 leads from chamber 10 to chamber 20, a similar pipe 31 leads from chamber 2O to chamber 30, and a similarl pipe 41 leads from chamber 30 to still v40. y

The exit of pipes l1, 21, 31 and 41 may be of any desired shape or form, a conventional `distributor being shown in the drawing. The exits may be submerged to any desired depthfin the substance undergoing treatment or may be above the normal liquid level 'if desired, but in the illustrative embodiment the exit of the pipes 11, 21, 31 and 41 is shown as submerged below-the normal level of the substance being treated.

The gaseous products accumulating and produced in the still are conveyed therefrom by apipe 2 which assumes any desired form :as may bein chamber 30 sulicient to afford desiredcondensing and heating surface therein (a conventional tubular coil being, shown merely` as a' simple illustrative form) and then enters a trap or separator 3 from which the liquid distillate may be removed by a pipe 4 and the gaseous products by a pipe 12 which enters chamber 20v and leads to ,trap 13 with distillate removal pipe 14 and gaseous products removal pipe 22 which enters chamber 10 and leads to trap 23 having distillate removal pipe 24. From trap 23 the gaseous products enter pipe 33 which, passes preferably through a condenser 43 into trap or separator 53 having distillate removal pipe 63. The gaseous products may be conv ducted from trap 53 by pipe 73 provided with a blow-off 83 and with a booster 93, by means of which latter the gaseous products or any desired portion thereof may be conducted to pipe 5 with blow-off 15 and lim branch pipe 25 through which any desired y to chamber pheric pressure, booster 93 may be operated as an exhauster in connection with blow-oif 15 and the gaseous medium or lproducts or any portion thereof may be released through blow-off 15 or Vmay lbe returned for recirculation through pipes 5 and 35. Pipe 25 may be utilized if desired to supply a, new circulating medium or-any of. All or any portion of the discharge products ,released through the blow-oil or otherwise may be conserved if desired and similarly any portion of the circulating medium lost or utilized in the process may be made up in any desired manner.

If it is desired to pass the gaseous medium from pipe lmgvervthe substance to be treated without bubbling therethrough, any desired construction may be used such, for example, .as a 'oy-pass pipe 6 with connecting pipes 16 and 26 and provided with suitable valves. This construction, in connection with simi'lar connecting pipes 36, 46, 56, 66, and 76 and similar or suitable valves connecting with the other chambers permits all or any portion of the lighter constituents to by-pass any chamber or chambers or pass through such chamber or chambers without bubbling through the heavier constituents therein contained as when they pass through pipes 11,21, 31, or 41.

The distillate from trap or separator 3 may be conducted by means of pipe 4 to pump 7 and discharged into pipe 17 from whici all or any portion thereof may be returned to the substance to be treated 'as by means of pipe 27 leading into pipe 31 and provided with a suitable valve as indicated or al'l or any portion of the said distillate may be conducted through chamber 20 by pipe 37 which may'assume any desired form therein to rovide desirable cooling and heating sur tace in chamber 2() (a conventional tubular coil being shown merely as a simple illustrative form) thence by means of pipe 47 through chamber-10 in similar manner to cooler 57 where it may be further cooled if desired. From cooler 57 the dis-4 tillate may -be conducted through valve 67v 77 provided with distillate removal pipe 87 and gaseous product removal pipe 97 by which the pressure (if pressure 1s employed) may be released and the distillate freed of any excess gases or vapors which it may have obtained While under the conditions of pressure employed. The distillate and gaseous products so removed'may be conserved or further treated or all or any portion ofeither or both may be returned to the substance to be treated or to the circu- 'lating medium.

The distillate from trap or separator 13 may be conducted in similar manner through pipe 14 to ump 8 and discharged into pipe 18 from wiich all or any portion thereof may be returned to the substance to be desired portion theretreated as by means of pipe 28 leading into pipe 21 provided with suitable valve as shownor all or any portion of .the said dis' tillate may be conducted` through chamber 10 by pipe 38 to cooler 48 where it may be coole/d further if desired. From cooler 48 the distillate may be conducted through valvev 58vtoI .chamber 68 provided with distillate removal pipe 88 by which the pressure (if pressure is employed) may be released and the distillate freed of any excess gases or vapors which it may have obtained while under the conditions of pressure employed. The distillate and gaseous products so removed may be conserved' or further treated or all or any portion of either or both may be returned to the substance to be treated or to the circulating medium.

In simi'lar manner the distillate from trap or separator 23 may be conducted by ipe 24 through cooler 34 and further coole if desired thence through yvalve 44 to chamber 54 provided with distillate removal pipe 64 and gaseous product removal pipe 74. Similarly the distillate and gaseous products removed may lbe conserved or or any portion of either or both may be returned to the substance to be treated or to the circulating medium. In the illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing a by-pass with suitable control valve 84 is provided to connect pipes 47 and 18 and permit the distillates from traps or separators 3 and 13 to be combined either` wholly on in part during the process. In some instances the combining'l of two 'or more distillates during the process may be desired and Vmay be accomplished in the above described or any other suitable mani nel'.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the condensate resulting from cool ing the gaseous products need not bev removed necessarily from the presence of the remaining .gaseous products until so desired. the traps or separators shown in the drawings being illustrated merely of a well known means of such removal and not indicative of the necessity of such removal at the points indicated. The points=of dis-l tillate removal are select-ive and should b e governed preferably by the adaptation of the process. Likewise the return of condensate to the still 4() as, for example, by pump 7 and pipes 17, 27, 31 and 41,'is merely one mode of returning or refluxing condensate back to the distilling zone. In such an operation thc chamber 3() acts as a fractionating condenser from which a portion of-the heavier condensed vapors are returned to the cracking zone by the pump 7. In a similar manner the condensate obtained by the fractional' condensation effected by the further treated or alll y turned tothe highest temperature zone.

lowered` pressure may be removed if desiredV by a pipe 59 for condensation, further treatment or use. The chamber 39 maybe provided with a drain pipe 69. The residuum leaving trap or iilter 39 may be conducted by a pipe 79 to .a pump 89 and discharged into pipe ,99 from which all or any portion thereof may be returned to the substance to be treated as by means of pipe 32 leading into pipe 4l and provided with suitable valve as shown, or all or any portion of the said residuum may be conducted through the condensing chamber 30 by pipe 42 which may assume any desired form' therein to provide. a desirable cooling and heating surface in chamber 30 (a conventional tubular cil being shown merely as a simple illustrative form) and-may be conducted therefrom by pipe 52. In similar manner the resi-duum may be conducted by pipes 62, 72, 82and 92 through chambers 20 and 10, respectively, and may be further cooled. if desired by a suitable cooler 60 through Whichthe' residuum may pass. From cooler 60 the residnum maybe released from pressure (if pressure is employed) as by means of valve and discharged into chamber 8O having gaseous products removal pipe 45 and drain 55. Chamber may be employed as a sediment trap or filter if desired and the rectified product may be conducted therefrom by a pipe 90 and rc-used as an absorbing menstruum or otherwise used 'as desired or all or any portion thereof may be returned to inlet pipe and retreated if desired. Branch pipes 65, 75, and may be provided inpipes 52', 72, and 92, respectively, for removal of all or any portion of the residuum therein contained if desired and similar means may be adopted to remove one or more distillates or any. desirable portions thereof at suitable stages of the process if so desired.

The pipe 35 which 'has been described in the embodiment illustrated above as ,conveying a gaseous medium to the circuit is intended to act as a conveyor for any desired circulating medium which may be either the gaseousproducts from booster 93 or an introduced gaseous medium or an introduced liquid (which may provide a gaseous medium while in the circuit) or both in any combinaton that will provide a desired circulating medium. In said embodiment for example a liquid containing volatile prod- ,The circulating medium also may be of a nature advantageous to be incorporated in the .distillate or any portion thereof. In treating a substance which contains volatile products in sulcient quantity to provide a suitable K gaseous circulating. medium during the treatment it preferably is introduced directly through pipes 1 and 11. without the utilization of pipe 35, except if desired as a conveyor foi-surplus gases available after the circuit is completed. In other Words, it is the purpose to employ a gaseous` medium traveling throughthe circuit either bubbling through the substance under treatment or,

passing adjacent t-he surface thereof which will travel through Vthe circuit and aid in the formatiouof desired products and in some instances become progressively saturated therewith, both the Circulating medium and the products given -otl` being subjected to progressive heat treatment. It will be noted that the circulating mediumtravels in the same general direction as the substance to be treated and that the heating is progressive. At the'same time and at .diierent stages part of the gaseous products may be cooled to the condensing point by passing them in`v a generally reverse direction through the chambers in a similar manner to the cooling of the distillates or residuum. As the gaseous products, the distillates, and the residuums give'up their heat retrogressively the heat is taken up progressively by' treated and the circulating medium are heated and the gaseous products,` distillates, and residuums obtained by such heat treatment are cooled `at leastl in part by bringing themthrough successive stages within the respective heating and cooling influence of each other while physically separated.

From the 'foregoing description of the process it will be apparent that by subjecting the vapors leaving the still 40 to fractional condensationinthe heat-exchanger 3() and returning the resulting condensate to the still 4() by the pump 7, the. heavier products vmay be maintained in the highest temperature zone until they have been completely converted. And because of the heat applied to the oil in the chamber 30 by th'e vapors and residuum and because of the prior heatman ' to the succeeding condensing zones.

Chamber 4() is shown as equipped with a pressure gauge 91 for determining the pressure and proper adjustments of the blowoffs. Other suitable .gauges may be provided to indicate pressures and liquid levels at desirable stages of the process in anywell known mannerand as'readily will vbe understood by those skilled in the art but which have not been particularly shown in the drawin Insulation 'clean outs, and minor detas of similar c varacter also have been omitted for the sake of clearness of illustration.

It will be understood-that when the pressures employedin the process are suiiicient to cause flow of the residuum and distillates through the course desired the pumps 89, 7

' and 8 may be omitted and that suitable relative vpositions of the apparatus employed may be utilized to enable all or any portion of the distillates to be returned in suitable manner to -the substance to be treated without the aid of pumps.

Chambers 10, 20, 30 and 40 may be provided with valve controlled outlets 51, 6l, 71 and 81, respectively, for'draining or other purposesl or for drawing off heavier constituents of substances such as emulsions which may be separated at certain stages of the process and said constituents may be cooled -if desired by ,means similar to that above described for cooling distillates and residuum and by providin suitable cooling and heating surface there or.

The distillates'or any portion thereof and all or any portion of the residuum may be cooled by contact with the substance to be treated while physically separated therefrom in any desired manner and to any desired extent and may pass through one or more of the chambers as desired. 'y

Many modifications of myinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing therefrom or from the scope of the claims, myl invention not being limited to the embodiment thereof chosen for illustrative purposes but consisting of the treatment of substances with heat adapted to obtain improved results with increased econ-l omies.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is: v

' 1. A method of heat treating liquids comris'ing mixing a given liquid with gas, passing said mixture forward to a zone of maximum temperature, withdrawing vapors from said zone, passing said vapors countercurrent to said mixture and in heat interchangefrel'ation therewith to form a lzone through which saidmixture passes of lower temperature than said first zone thereby forming a. conl densate'from 4part of'said vapors and mingling said condensate with said mixture in said second mentioned zone of temperature.

2. A method of heat treating liquids comprising mixing a given liquid with a fluid, heating said mixtureto gasify the iuid, passing said gas-liquid mixture forwardly to a zone of maximum temperature, withdrawing vapors from said zone, passing said vapors countercurrent to said mixture and in heat interchange relation therewith to form a zone through which said mixture passes of rlower temperature than the iii-st zone thereby v forming a condensate from part of said vapors and mingling said condensate with said mixture in said second mentioned zone of temperature.

3. A method of heat treating liquids comprising mixing a liquid with gas, passing said mixture forward to a zone of maximum temperature, withdrawing vapors from said zone and passing said vaporscou'ntercurrent to said mixtureand in heat interchanging relation therewith to form a plurality of zones through which said mixture passes, said second mentioned zones being of lower temperature than said first mentioned-zone and increasing in temperature in the direction of iow of Isaid mixture, collecting the condensate 4from lone 'of said zones and mingling it with said mixture in a zone having at least as high degree oftemperature as that in .which the condensate itself was formed and passing vapors not condensed in the hotter of said zones successively through the zones of lower temperature. 4. A method of heat treating liquids coinprising providinga given liquid with a. gasiable. fluid, heating said li uid-fluid mix-` ture to gasify and vaporiz'e t e same, passing` said gas-vapor liquid mixture forwardly to a zone of maximum temperature, withdrawing vapors from said zone and ypassing said vapors. countercurrent to saidmixture and in` heatinterchan e relation therewith to forma plurality o? zones of decreasin temperature in the direction of`A flow of sai vapors, collecting a condensate from one o f which the condensate was formed and passin'g the remainder of said condensate through a zone of lower temperature than that in which it was formed while maintaining the condensate separate from'both said mixture and said vapors.l l

A method of heat treating liquids comprising mixing a given liquid with gas, passing said mixture forward to a zone of maximum temperature, `withdrawin vapors from said zone and passingy sai va rs counter-currentto said mixture .and in eat interchange relationtherewith to form a y plurality of zones ofdecreasing temperano through certain of said coils to form condenture in the direction of iow of said vapors, collecting a condensate from one of said zones, mingling a partof said condensate With said mixture in a zone having at least a temperature equal to the zone in which the condensate Was formed and passing the remainder of said condensate through a zone of lower temperature than that in which it Was formed While maintaining the condensate separate from both said mixture and said vapor. i

6. An apparatus of the type described comprising in combination a heating unit, a series-of heat interchange units, means for feeding a mixture of gas and liquid throu h said interchange units to said heating unit, cils in said interchange units, means for passing vapors from said heating 'unit sates from said vapors, means for trapping out condensates from uncondensed vapor and pumps for forcing condensate through coils in certain of said interchange units of lower temperature than those in which the condensate was formed.

7. An apparatus of the type described comprising in combination a heating unit, a plurality of heat interchange units, tubes 1n said interchange units, means for forming a mixture of gas and liquid to be treated and for passing said mixture throu h said interchange units in series to said eatin unit, means for passing vapors from sai heating unit through certain of said tubesk in each lof said interchange units and pumping` means for passing residuum from said heating unit to other of said tubes.

8. An apparatus ofthe type described comprising in combination a heating unit, a plurality of heat interchange units, said interchange units containing coils, means for forming a mixture of gas and liquid to be treated and for passing said mixture through said heat interchange units in series to said heating unit, means for passin vapors from said heating unit through coi s in said interchange units, means for trapping out condensates formed in said coils and pumps for forcin said condensates through other of said coi s.

- 9. An apparatus of the type described,

comprising in combination a heating unit, a plurality of heat interchange units, Vcoils within said interchange units, means for forming a mixture of gas and liquid to be treated, a pipe for introducing said mixture into the first of said interchange units, pipes for leadin mixed liquid and gas from said irst intere ange unit to another and thence to said heatin unit, a pipe for leading va.- pors from said coils, a pipe for conducting condensate from said las't mentioned coil to another of said coils in another interchange unit, and a bypass from said last mentioned pipe to one heating unit to one of said vof said pipes for conducting mixture interl mediate the heat interchange units.

10. An apparatus of the type-described for heat treating liquids comprising in combination a heating unit, a series of heat interchangers, means for passing liquid through said heat intercliangers in series and to said heating unit, means for passing vapors from said' heating unit through said heat interchan ers countercurrent to said liquid and there y forming condensates, means for transferring some of said condensates into said liquid passing to said heating unit, and means for Y passing a gaseous medium through the mixture of said liquid and said condensate While in one of said heat interchangers to lower the evaporation tempera- `ture therein.

11. An apparatus -of the type described, comprising in combination a eating unit, a plurality of heat interchange units, tubes in said interchange units, means for passing the liquid to be treated through said 1nterchange units in series to said heatlng u'nit, means for passing vapors from said heating unit through certain of said tubes and means for passing residuum from said heating unit throughother of said tubes in each ofsaid units whereby heat is transferred from said vapors and residuum to the liquid passing through said interchange units.

.12. A distilling and converting apparatus, comprising a still, a series-oi?k partial condensers, means for passing the liquid to be treated through said condensers and into said still, means for separately passing vapors and residuum from said still through said condensers in 4heat exchange but out of contact with the oiltherein and means for passing the condensate produced from said vapors into said still.

v 13. A process of distilling poil, comprisin passingol to be distilled through a plura ity of combined heating and condensing zones of increasing temperature, passing the oil from' the zone of highest temperature into a still, heatinvr the oil in said still; ass- Ning the vapors and residuum produced rom said heating separately through said zones in heat exchange but out of contact with the oil therein and returning to the still, condensate produced by heat exchange of said vapors with the oil in said zone of highest temperature.

14. The process of distilling hydrocarbon oils, which comprises passing the oil to be distilled through a series of separate and distinct zones of increasing temperature, bubbling gas throu h said oil in each zone, cooling' the gas an evolved va ors to progressively lower temperatures giy passing the same in heat exchange with the oil in said zones, separately collecting the condensate produced in each zone and cooling said conheat-ing the liquid in said unit, means for (conducting vapors from said unit through. sald condensers 1n heat exchange but out of Contact withthe liquid therein, tllereby to condense a portion of said vapors in each condenser, and separate and independent .15 means for conducting res1duum from said` distilling unit through saidl series of partial condensers in heat exchange but out of contact with said liquid therein.

In `testimony that I claim the foregoing I 2o have hereunto sety my hand this 9th day of July, 1927;

IWILBUR` G. LAIRD. 

